


As You Wish

by Irrepressable



Series: Time, Love & Tenderness: A Twelve/Clara Story [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, Mixed Messages, The Doctor Can't Just Say It, The Princess Bride References, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-24 12:20:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16174958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irrepressable/pseuds/Irrepressable
Summary: "I'm not your boyfriend."Lately, the Doctor has been using that phrase a lot. Romantic things keep happening between them, but he always ruins the moment by saying those words. The Doctor is a master of mixed messages, but lately Clara has been wondering: when he says "I'm not your boyfriend", could it be possible that he means something else entirely?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, readers. It's me again. I'm having difficulty with Unexpected due to a bit of story-specific writer's block. I've had this idea for a story for a while and I decided to write it while I brainstorm new ideas for Unexpected. If anyone has any, please post them in Unexpected. Anyway, here's the story that is romantic and shippy af. I hope that it will give you the feels in the best way possible.

Clara was trying to have an ordinary day. She really was. Unfortunately, ordinary days were hard to come by when the Doctor had the tendency to pop in at the most inopportune of moments. Just last weekend, he walked into her bathroom while she was taking a shower to tell her about something interesting. He seemed oblivious to her nudity and it took her yelling at him and throwing things at him to make him realize that he was not wanted in that particular area of her dwelling. For someone who was probably one of the smartest beings in the universe, the Doctor could really be an idiot sometimes. To make things stranger, when she walked into her bedroom wearing a soft, fluffy robe, the grey-haired Time Lord blurted out, "I'm not your boyfriend!"

　

The timing was very confusing. She managed not to yell at him when she told him that a woman approaching him in her bath robe wasn't necessarily a come-on. He just looked at her as if she had said the most ridiculous, confusing, frustrating thing in the world before dismissing her- how he could dismiss her in her own flat was a matter up for debate- and hijacking her sofa, where he sat and watched _Adventure Time_ and pretended that he hated the cartoon.

　

This past Wednesday, the Doctor had been very confusing once more. Well, more confusing than usual. They had been trapped on a space station, which was infested by Daleks. The Doctor had set it to self-destruct mode to save the planet below from the evil, hateful creatures. Due to a series of delays, it was uncertain whether she and the Doctor would reach the TARDIS in time. When they got lost, the Doctor grabbed her arm, turned her to face him, and said, "I'm not your boyfriend, Clara."

　

Once they were safely aboard the TARDIS and off the exploding space station, Clara gave the Doctor a scolding for inappropriate timing. She told him that she knew that he wasn't her boyfriend and that an exploding space station filled with Daleks was one of the worst possible occasions to remind her that the friend zone was an important, constant part of their lives that they both happily existed in. The Doctor got that frustrated look on his face again and immediately took her home without so much as a word. Sometimes she wished that she knew what was going on in that big, two thousand year old brain of his.

　

Now it was Saturday again and she was safe and sound in her flat, relaxing on the couch and watching _50 First Dates_. Despite her complete and utter lack of anything even remotely resembling a love life, she was still in the mood to watch a romantic comedy. Just as Adam Sandler's character introduced himself to the love interest for the second time, Clara heard the sound of the TARDIS materializing. She let out an annoyed sigh and paused the movie. As soon as the TARDIS was fully materialized, the Doctor opened the door and stuck his head out. "Clara!"

　

Clara rolled her eyes and said, "Doctor, it's Saturday."

　

The Time Lord waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's the weekend and you're watching a romantic comedy. Don't pretend that you have somewhere to go."

　

Clara swore under her breath. Damn it. He was right. He knew her better than almost anyone else and he was right. She let out a sigh and asked, "What do you want, Doctor?"

　

"There's a thing you need to see." the Doctor replied.

　

"What kind of thing?" Clara questioned.

　

The Doctor wagged his finger and said, "Ah-ah, it's a surprise!"

　

"Doctor, you know how I feel about surprises!" Clara groaned.

　

"You'll like this surprise." the Doctor said with a grin. "Come on, then!"

　

Clara shut the telly off and got up from her couch. She then followed the Time Lord into his ship. "You'll definitely like this." the Doctor said as he pressed buttons, flicked switches, and pulled levers.

　

Seconds later, the TARDIS arrived at their destination. The Doctor opened the door and said, "Go on out. I'll be there in a minute."

　

Clara stepped outside to see that the ship was parked in one of the most beautiful meadows she had ever seen. There were clouds, but not too many. It wasn't too hot or too cold. The weather was perfect. To make things even better, the many flowers weren't making her sneeze. Exactly sixty seconds after the Doctor had let her out of the TARDIS, said Time Lord returned with a picnic basket and a picnic blanket tucked under one arm. Clara raised a brow as the Doctor spread the blanket on a clear spot and set the basket on top of it. He patted a spot near him and said, "Sit down!"

　

Clara, still dumbfounded, did what she was asked. The Doctor opened the basket and pulled out a bottle with some sort of liquid in it. He then took out two glasses and poured them each a cup. Clara sniffed it and asked, "Is this lemonade?"

　

"No," the Doctor replied snarkily, "It's chocolate milk. Of course it's lemonade."

　

Clara glared at the Time Lord, who had the decency to look sheepish. When the Time Lord reached into the basket to pull out two plates and a container of potato salad, the petite brunette asked, "Doctor, is this a _picnic_?"

　

"Yes, it is." the Doctor said. "I thought you would have realized that when I got out the blanket and the basket."

　

The Doctor put a scoop of potato salad on each of their plates. He then took two plastic-wrapped sandwiches out of the basket and handed one to Clara. The teacher raised a brown and said, "Well, I suspected that it was."

　

"Well, it's definitely a picnic." the Doctor said. "Turkey sandwich?"

　

Clara accepted the sandwich and said, "It's strange."

　

"The turkey sandwich?" the Doctor questioned. "If you don't like turkey sandwiches, I have cheesesteaks, fresh from Philadelphia- or do you like lobster rolls from Maine?"

　

"It's not the sandwiches." Clara explained. "It's this whole picnic thing."

　

"You like it, don't you?" the Doctor said with a furrowed brow.

　

"I do like it." Clara said. "It's just that this isn't really something that you do."

　

"I do plenty of things that you don't know about." the Doctor said defensively.

　

"I know that you don't do picnics." Clara replied. "I can't really picture you enjoying a picnic."

　

"I can enjoy it." the Doctor said sincerely. "You can enjoy it."

　

Clara gave the Time Long look before asking, "Will you pass me a lobster roll?"

　

The Doctor reached into the basket and pulled out a lobster roll, which he passed to his companion. "Thank you." Clara said with a smile. She took a bite and her eyes opened wide. The surprised woman exclaimed, "This is amazing! Where did you get it?"

　

The Doctor smirked at her and replied, "Oh, just a little place in Maine called Sandy's Seaside Seafood Shack. It's not exactly a popular tourist destination, but Sandy makes the best lobster rolls in the entire Northeastern United States."

　

"You have to take me there some time." Clara said with a grin.

　

"I'll make plans for that." the Doctor replied. "When we go there, you need to try the crab cakes. They're like an explosion of pure, unadulterated bliss in your mouth."

　

"How many times have you been there?" Clara asked.

　

"Oh, many times." the Doctor replied. "Though I've never taken anyone else with me. It's sort of a special, secret place that I go when I'm craving seafood."

　

Clara beamed and said, "I'm glad that you let me in on your little secret."

　

"Well, I know you well enough to know that you won't go blathering about it." the Doctor shared her grin before giving a conspiratory wink.

　

Clara laughed and took a bite of her potato salad. It was good, too. The Doctor seemed to remember something. "Clara, there's something I need to show you." he said with a grin.

　

The Time Lord snapped his fingers and the flowers across the meadow began to sing Rod Stewart's _If We Fall In Love Tonight_. Clara raised her brows. The Doctor calmly explained, "These flowers all sing Rod Stewart and Michael Bolton covers. They're unique to this planet and don't grow anywhere else in the universe."

　

"Impressive." Clara said, clearly surprised by the whole thing.

　

"It's not my thing, but I thought you'd find it interesting." the Doctor said with a shrug.

　

"Well, I'm glad you thought of me." Clara smiled at the Time Lord.

　

"Well, you can enjoy the music while you enjoy your picnic." the Doctor said with an amused note to his voice.

　

Clara and the Doctor spent the next few hours discussing their adventures and enjoying their picnic. Well, Clara was clearly enjoying it. The Doctor was pretending that he wasn't, but his companion knew him well enough to tell that he was. After the main meal was done, the Doctor brought out some banana nut cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting. They enjoyed those, too. After a few hours, just as the sun was about to set, the Doctor reached into the basket and pulled out two wine glasses and a bottle of wine. Clara's brows raised once more. When she saw that it was her favorite wine, her brows achieved lift-off. The Doctor smiled and poured them each a glass of wine. While Clara drank her wine, she leaned into the Doctor's side. He didn't complain at all. By the time that the petite brunette was nearly finished with her glass of wine, the fireflies had started to come out. With one last sip, she emptied her glass. She gazed at the beautiful scene around her and rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder. "Doctor?"

　

"Yes, Clara?" the Doctor questioned.

　

"This is one of the best things you've ever done for me." Clara said with a smile, followed by a contented sigh.

　

The Doctor shared Clara's silence, listening to the sounds of the evening around them. After a few minutes, he turned his head so his eyes met hers and spoke. With the next four words, the Time Lord killed the moment and completely ruined the evening. "I'm not your boyfriend."

　

Clara's eyes widened in surprise. A split second later, she shoved herself away from the Doctor and stormed off to the TARDIS. What the hell just happened? The Doctor had just treated her to a day that would be considered romantic by most people. Of course, since he was the Doctor, he didn't so romance. He probably said it so she wouldn't think that he was leading her on. Clara sighed. The whole thing was one massive set of mixed messages. Of course, he was the Doctor. He was the master of mixed messages. A few minutes later, the Doctor arrived with the picnic blanket under one arm and the picnic basket in his free hand. Clara glared at him and said, "I know don't want to be my boyfriend and I don't want to be your girlfriend, but did you have to bring it up on such a nice evening?"

　

The Doctor scowled at her. His scowl turned to a look of frustration. He didn't reply. Instead, he headed over to the console and did his thing, putting in the coordinates and taking her home. His moments were harsh, obviously fueled by his frustration. When they arrived back at Clara's flat, the Doctor spoke. In a tight voice, he said, "We're back at your flat now."

　

Clara exited the TARDIS without a word. As soon as she was off the ship, it began to dematerialize. When it was gone, Clara headed back to the couch. She turned the telly and the blue ray player back on. Pressing the 'play' button, she resumed watching _50 First Dates_. She was still cross, so she didn't enjoy it like she should have. She was still in a foul mood when she went to bed. Thankfully, her sleep was dreamless.

　

　

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor gives Clara a cooking lesson and things get rather intense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to make this a multi-chapter story. I think it works better that way. Things may seem bad now, but I promise you that they will get better by the end of the story. Now, on to chapter 2!

Clara had long since learned that it was futile to stay mad at someone who was clueless about social conventions. For goodness' sake, he hadn't even batted an eyelid when he walked in while she was naked! Then again, there was that one time in his last body that he was naked and didn't seem to find anything odd with it. Maybe modesty was a concept that he had evolved past. She, being a 21st century female, was less modest than a woman of previous centuries. However, that didn't mean that she liked it when random people saw her naked. Thankfully, she was wearing her PJs when she stepped out and saw the Doctor watching a programme about cooking. She cleared her throat loudly to get his attention. The Time Lord scoffed and said, "I could make much better macarons than that."

　

Clara scoffed. "In your last body, I've seen you burn corn flakes."

　

"Different body, different skills." the Doctor scowled. "Between my visits, I've been tutored by some of the best chefs in the universe. I can make dishes that would make your eyes pop."

　

"Oh yeah?" Clara challenged. "Show me, then."

　

"Challenge accepted." the Doctor said with determination in his voice. "I will prove to you, Clara Oswald, that my cooking skills are superior to those of celebrity chef man."

　

The Doctor stood up and headed into the TARDIS, followed shortly after by Clara. They both headed to the galley and the Doctor retrieved the proper supplies. "I will show you that my macarons are far better." the Time Lord insisted. "If you wish to, you can assist. I'd be glad to teach you this technique."

　

Clara rolled her eyes at him. The Doctor started this by pre-heating the oven. While the oven was heating up, he lined some baking sheets with silicone mats. "Put the pre-measured dry ingredients in a bowl and combine them with a whisk." the Doctor instructed.

　

Clara, of course, followed the directions. Once she had done that, the Doctor instructed her to sift the sugar-almond flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a larger bowl. It took a while to use a rubber spatula to push it through, but she accomplished it. There was a little left, which the Doctor instructed her to save. Clara looked at the Time Lord and asked, "Anything else, oh Great Baker of the Universe?"

　

"It's time to beat the egg whites." the Doctor said. "I'll show you how to separate the yolks from the egg whites."

　

Fortunately, Clara was a quick study. She managed not to get any shell or yolk into the bowl with the egg whites. "Now put the cream of tartar in." the Time Lord instructed. "Then whisk until frothy."

　

Unfortunately, there was not a mixer present, so Clara had to whisk it by hand. Reaching a frothy texture was not hard to do. The Doctor smiled at her work and said, "You're doing surprisingly well."

　

"Thanks." Clara replied with a note of amusement. "It's good to know that I'm good enough at this."

　

"Well, I wouldn't say-" the Doctor noticed that the egg whites were nice and frothy. "Your egg whites are the right consistency. Add the superfine sugar slowly ant beat until there are stiff, shiny peaks."

　

Clara whisked as if her life depended on it, but her wrists were starting to get tired. "No, not that way." the Doctor instructed. "You'll tire out to quickly. Do it like this."

　

The Time Lord moved so he was behind Clara. He reached around and took Clara's hands in his, positioning the whisk. Then, moving her hands in the proper motion, he demonstrated the proper technique. Clara felt gooseflesh prickling the back of her neck when the Doctor leaned in and whispered in her ear, "This is the proper technique, Clara. Do you understand."

　

Clara swallowed silently, feeling a little light-headed from the sensation of the Time Lord's breath brushing her ear. "Got it." she attempted a nonchalant voice, though she wasn't sure whether she succeeded or not.

　

In a short time, the mixture was at the proper consistency. The Doctor reached over and grabbed the bowl with the almond flour mixture in it. "Carefully fold the egg white mixture into the flour mixture." He took Clara's hands in his once more, speaking calmly as he showed her how to combine the mixture.

　

Clara nearly made a choking sound when she felt the Doctor's breathing on the back of her neck. She didn't need to be instructed to add the blue food coloring and vanilla extract. She shook the Doctor's hands off of hers and continued to fold and scrape the mixture until the batter was smooth and fell off the spatula in a thin ribbon. The Time Lord removed himself from his position behind his companion to retrieve a pastry bag with a round tip. Holding the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet, he piped 24 circles onto one sheet. "Tap the sheet against the counter twice." the Time Lord demonstrated his instructions. "This is to release any air bubbles. Can you do this, Clara?"

　

"Of course I can." Clara said hastily.

　

The petite brunette applied the mixture to the remaining sheets, leaving 24 circles on each sheet. They weren't perfect, but they were about the same size. Like the Doctor, Clara tapped the sheets against the counter. "All right." the Doctor said confidently. "Now it's time to leave them at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch, about thirty minutes with the current humidity level." He looked at Clara and said, "Now we need to find something to do while we wait."

　

Clara swallowed silently. An idea struck her and she whipped out her phone. "I'll play Candy Crush!" She said hastily and a bit more loudly than she had intended to.

　

The Doctor had an unreadable expression on his face. He nodded. In the awkward silence, the two of them waited a half an hour before the cookies were ready. The Doctor placed another empty cooking sheet under the first sheet and put them in the oven. "I have this set to the parameters of a standard Earth oven." The Doctor said calmly. "The cookies will bake until they are shiny and rise up to form a 'foot', which should take about twenty minutes. When they're done, transfer them to a rack to cool completely."

　

There was another awkward wait as Clara tried not to glance at the Doctor, who was looking at her with the most intense expression. When the timer went off, the petite human jumped in surprise. She quickly took the cookies out of the oven and moved them to a rack to cool. She double-sheeted the next batch and baked _them_ for twenty minutes, glancing periodically at the Doctor, who seemed to be busy with something on his computerized electric kettle. Finally, there was the third batch. While Clara was removing them from the oven, her finger brushed the tray. Needless to say, it was very hot. She dropped the tray on the stove, thankfully not spilling them. The Doctor hurried over to her. "Let me see it." the Time Lord instructed.

　

"I'll be fine." Clara said hastily.

　

The Doctor ignored her and took her hand in his. He examined the burned digit and said, "Second degree burns. It could be worse."

　

"I can take care of it." Clara insisted.

　

"With your primitive 21st century medicine?" the Doctor scoffed. "I have something that will help it in my first aid kit."

　

The Time Lord opened one of the drawers and pulled out a small bag. He unzipped it and pulled out a small canister of something. "What's that?" Clara asked.

　

The Doctor headed over to Clara and took her hand in his again. He pressed the lid of the canister and it sprayed something over her hand. She expected it to hurt, but it was actually a slight cooling sensation. Before her very eyes, she watched the wound heal. The Doctor was not looking at her when he said, "It'd take too long to explain what it is. It just heals small burns and wounds. It's handy to have in the galley."

　

Clara wriggled her fingers before looking back up at the Doctor. "Thanks, I guess. What about the filling?"

　

"The filling?" the Doctor said dumbly. He then realized, "The macarons! Right. We'll mix the ingredients to the filling while they're cooling."

　

The Doctor took out a bowl and put some softened cream cheese and seedless blackberry jam in it. With practiced ease, he combined the ingredients and set the mixture aside. By then, the macarons were cool. The Doctor began to remove them from the sheet. Clara couldn't help but smile at the way he expertly put the filling in between the two 'cookies'. He saw her expression and smiled back. When the Time Lord was filling the second macaron, Clara swiped the first one. The Doctor gave her a half-hearted glare she ate the delicious treat. As she licked the delicious filling off of her fingers, her eyes met his. He cleared his throat audibly. Then, in an awkward tone that would normally be adorable but at that moment was extremely aggrivating, the Doctor said, "I'm not your boyfriend."

　

Clara glared at the Time Lord. "Really?" she snapped. "Is this _really_ the time for that?"

　

The Doctor quickly looked away and said nothing. His posture was tense as he returned to putting the macarons together. Clara huffed angrily and headed over to the entertainment room to watch _Steven Universe_ on the display screen. What the hell was that man's problem? Why did he keep saying that to her? It wasn't like she thought he _was_ her boyfriend. Clara watched the show for about an hour before she heard someone enter the room. She looked over to see the Doctor approaching her with a plate full of perfect-looking macarons. He smiled awkwardly at her. Clara rolled here eyes and asked, "Is this your way of saying sorry?"

　

"I never said anything." the Doctor replied.

　

Clara rolled her eyes and took one of the macarons. She bit into it, letting the delicious taste fill her mouth. She let out a half-heartedly annoyed sigh and said, "Fine, I forgive you."

　

The Doctor set the plate of macarons on the table in front of the couch. He looked at the screen and scoffed, " _Steven Universe_? You know that this show is grossly unrealistic."

　

"It's just a cartoon!" Clara said with a groan. She took another macaron and said, "Besides, the characters are completely adorable and it has an interesting storyline."

　

"I still don't get what you see in this cartoon." the Doctor huffed as he took a macaron of his own.

　

"Says the man who has memorized every line of every _Spongebob Squarepants_ ever aired." Clara said with an amused smirk.

　

The Doctor shot Clara a fake glare before taking a bite of his macaron and returning his gaze to the display screen. God, he was such an idiot. Still, she thought, he was her best friend. He was her idiot.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor can't always keep his promises, but in this case he does by taking Clara to a little seafood place in Maine.

Clara hadn't seen the Doctor in nearly a month. That last encounter with his 'not your boyfriend'-ism had put her on edge. It had been surprisingly romantic. Of course, she doubted that he ever intended for it to seem even remotely romantic. He _was_ the Doctor, after all. The Doctor didn't do romantic. He wasn't interested in romance with anyone, especially her- his best friend. She was quite fine with that. He had made his feelings on the subject quite clear not long after he regenerated. Again, she was fine with that. It didn't mean that he had to remind her at every single opportunity. She was just fine. Well, at least that's what she told herself and she refused to think otherwise.

　

Clara was jolted from her sleep by the sound of the TARDIS materializing in her bedroom. She looked at her clock and saw that it was 5 AM. The door to the TARDIS opened and the Doctor stuck his head out. "It's time to wake up, Clara Oswald!"

　

Clara rubbed her eyes and groaned, "It's five in the morning!"

　

"Don't pretend that you have somewhere else to go." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You were planning to stay in and watch _Frozen_ as the start of a Disney movie-thon."

　

"How did you know that?" Clara asked.

　

"I follow you on Twitter." the Doctor replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

　

"You follow me on Twitter?" Clara questioned.

　

"You might know me as 'NotDoctor2K'." the Doctor said with a smirk.

　

Clara let out a sigh. "I should have known it was you. Too many obscure historical references, Spongebob memes, and food porn."

　

The Doctor grimaced. "Food porn? That's disgusting!"

　

Clara rolled her eyes. "Food porn is images that portray food in an appetizing or aesthetically appealing way."

　

"Oh." the Doctor said. "Well, in that case, if you _really_ want to see 'food porn', you should see my Instagram."

　

"That still doesn't answer why you're in my room at 5 AM." Clara said with clear irritation in her voice.

　

"I figured that it was more considerate than waking you up at 4 AM." the Doctor replied. "Now come on, let's skip forward a few hours and go to S4!"

　

"What the hell is S4?" Clara asked.

　

"Sandy's Seaside Seafood Shack." the Doctor replied. "I call it S4 for short. Now hop out of bed and get into the TARDIS!"

　

"Doctor, I'm wearing the clothes that I wear exclusively for sleeping." the slightly annoyed Clara said.

　

"Get dressed, then!" the Doctor exclaimed.

　

"I can't get dressed with you here!" Clara snapped. "I'll be there in a minute!"

　

The Doctor waved his hand dismissively and said, " _Fine_ , I'll be in the TARDIS."

　

Once the Time Lord left, Clara grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom, just in case the man decided to peek out the TARDIS' door. She decided that she would wear jeans this time. She had all of her undergarments on and had just finished putting her jeans on when the door flew open, revealing the Doctor standing there. "Clara, are you ready yet? It's been a minute and I-"

　

"CLOSE THE DAMN DOOR!" Clara shouted. Covering her chest with one arm, she used the other to slam the door shut in the Doctor's face.

　

"This is one of those silly things that makes you cross, isn't it?" The Doctor's muffled voice came from beyond the door.

　

"It's not _silly_!" Clara snapped. "Women don't like non-partners to see them without their shirts!"

　

"This is a nipple thing, isn't it?" The Doctor questioned. "That's ridiculous. Everyone should be able to have their nipples out without judgement."

　

"Just leave so I can get dressed!" Clara groaned.

　

"Fine!" the Doctor sighed.

  
Clara heard him walking away. She made sure to quickly put her bra on, followed by her shirt. She looked at it in the mirror and realized that it was a T-shirt that belonged to the Doctor. He had lent it to her, along with a pair of boxers when several rooms in the TARDIS flooded and ruined most of her clothes onboard. The fact that she was wearing nothing but his T-shirt and a pair of his boxers didn't seem to bother him in the least. He must have forgotten to take it back when she was done with it. Still, it felt weird to take it off right now. Because it was a bit too long for her due to size difference, she tucked some of it into her jeans. Besides, if she left without a shirt, she might get caught half-naked by the Doctor again. When she was fully dressed, she headed to the TARDIS and made sure to close the door behind her. When the Doctor saw her, he smiled. It was one of those mysterious smiles that always left her wondering what he was thinking. He looked away and started accessing the console. "We're heading to Maine." he announced. "Specifically, to Sandy's Seaside Seafood Shack at 11:30 AM."

　

"Just like you promised." Clara smiled at him.

　

"I always keep my promises." The Doctor winked at Clara.

  
Clara, of course, rolled her eyes and tried not to think about the fact that he had winked at her. Seconds later, the TARDIS materialized in a small town in Maine, only a few blocks from a small place that the Doctor loved to frequent whenever he was craving seafood. Clara followed the Time Lord over to the building. When the Doctor opened the door, it rang a little bell, getting the attention of the person who worked inside. He was a balding, older man with a bit of a paunch. He appeared to be in his mid to late sixties. In a generic East Coast accent, the man said, "Morning, Doctor!"

　

"Good morning to you too, Sandy." the Doctor said jovially.

　

Sandy leaned against the counter and asked, "What'll it be, Doctor? The usual?"

　

"As always." the Doctor replied.

　

"Gotcha." the American said with a grin. "One lobster roll, coming up! What'll your girlfriend have?"

  
Clara turned bright red and said, "I'm not his girlfriend!"

　

The Doctor looked at Clara with an unreadable expression before returning his attention to Sandy. "Could have fooled me." Sandy said with a shrug. "Anyway, what can I do you for?"

　

"I'll have the lobster roll, too." Clara replied.

　

"A lobster roll for the lady, too." Sandy said with a grin. "Gotcha!"

  
"Watch this man." the Doctor whispered reverently to Clara. "He's a master of his craft."

　

Sandy headed into the open-view kitchen and got to work while Clara and the Doctor watched from their seats by the counter. The man was crafting his food, just as he had done countless times before. There was the surprise sound of chips hitting the oil of the fryer. Soon, the food was done. Sandy brought out two baskets, each with a lobster roll and a mound of chips. "Here you go, Doctor and not-the-Doctor's-girlfriend."

　

"Her name is Clara." the Doctor said with an oddly amused voice.

　

"Sorry, Clara." Sandy said with his typical lopsided grin. "Didn't know what else to call you. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your lunch. I got another order to fulfill. Busy day, you know?"

　

The greying American then headed over to a customer at an unoccupied section of the counter. Clara took a bite of the lobster roll and let out a happy sound. She looked at the Doctor and said, "This is even better than I remembered."

　

"Memory never does Sandy's food justice." the Doctor replied. "Not even mine. Try the chips."

　

Clara set down her lobster roll and tried one of the chips. To her delight, it had the perfect amount of salt- not too much, not too little- and they were nice and crisp but she could still taste the potato. "The chips are amazing." the petite brunette said with a grin.

　

"That's one of the interesting things that Sandy does." the Doctor said. "Everything comes with chips. I mean _everything_ , from the popcorn shrimp to the steamed lobster."

　

Clara took another bite of her lobster roll. "You're right. Sandy is a master of his craft. Thanks for taking me here."

　

"I knew that you'd like it here." The Doctor grinned broadly. "Now there's just one problem."

　

"What problem is that?" Clara asked.

　

"The problem is keeping you from stealing the TARDIS and taking it here every time you're craving a lobster roll." The Doctor replied. It was impossible to tell whether he was being serious or not.

　

"I'll always ask first before taking her here." Clara replied, shooting the Doctor her winning smile.

　

The Doctor looked away and cleared his throat. "Indeed. If I take you here again, make sure you try the crab cakes."

　

"You mean _when_ you take me here again." Clara corrected the Time Lord.

　

"What makes you think you're so special that I would take you here again?" The Doctor wasn't flirting, Clara thought, the Doctor does _not_ flirt.

　

"I'm really special. I'm your Impossible Girl, remember?" Clara wasn't flirting with the Doctor. She was absolutely _not_ flirting with the Doctor.

　

"You'll still have to find another way to convince me." The Doctor smirked and Clara felt her heart speed up a little.

　

Keeping her voice nonchalant, Clara replied in a way that wasn't at all flirtatious, "I'll come up with some way."

　

The Doctor and Clara's eyes both widened. The Time Lord cleared his throat and muttered, "I, ah, have to step outside. Be back in a moment. Watch my food."

　

With that said, the Doctor rushed off. By then Sandy had finished the next customer's order and had no new orders for the moment. Clara looked over to a table on the other side of the restaurant but still directly in view. A man and a woman were sitting there, blatantly flirting with each other and holding hands. Clara glanced at Sandy and saw that he had an amused expression on his face. Clara, of course, was equally amused. She looked back over at the couple and said, "Do you think that she and her boyfriend should get a room?"

　

Sandy let out a hearty laugh and said, "Brendan and Meridith? Nah. 'Sides, I wouldn't call him Meredith's boyfriend."

　

"Why not?" Clara asked.

　

"It's a complicated thing." Sandy replied. "Sometimes love is deeper than that. Sometimes 'boyfriend' is too insignificant of a word to describe the way a man feels about another person."

　

Clara nodded. "I see."

　

"Know anyone like that?" Sandy asked.

　

Clara heard the bell ring and turned around to see the Doctor walk back into the restaurant. She turned back to Sandy and shrugged. "No, not really."

　

By this time, Clara was finished with her lobster roll and about halfway done with the massive pile of chips in her basket. The Doctor grabbed his lobster roll, scarfed it down, and said, "We need to go, Clara. Things are about to get bad."

  
"What is it?" Clara asked, alarm clear in her voice. "Cybermen?"

　

"Worse." The Doctor grimaced. " _Furries_."

　

"Oh god." Clara blanched. "We have to get out of here!" She turned to look at the propriator of the establishment they were in and said, "We've got to go, Sandy. Thank you for the food!"

　

The Doctor tossed some money Sandy's way, thankfully enough to cover the food and then some. "Keep the change!" the Time Lord shouted.

　

Sandy frowned as the pair headed towards the door and exclaimed, "Doctor, are you just going to leave me here? With _furries_? I thought you liked me!"

　

As the Doctor walked out the door, he responded, "I like you, Sandy, but I don't like you that much."

　

As Clara followed the Doctor out the door, they were followed by the sounds of customers chatting and Sandy's laughter.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor takes Clara to a planet where every day is Valentine's Day. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In a review on ff net, it was asked whether Sandy's Seaside Seafood Shack is a real place or not. I regret to inform you that it does not exist. I made it up. Sadly, I have never been to Maine. I think that Sandy's menu would probably have fried clams, popcorn shrimp, steamed lobster, lobster rolls, crab cakes, clams casino, clam chowder, oysters rockafeller, grilled sea bass, a seafood sampler basket, crab mac 'n cheese, beer battered cod, and some sort of surf 'n turf melt with breaded prawns, roast beef, and smoked bacon. Of course, every single dish would come with fried sticks of potato-y goodness.
> 
> In other news, I took a DNA test and found out that I'm not Bohemian like was told I was my entire life. It turns out that I'm mostly German and Welsh. I long suspected the German thing because I was told that my biological father looked German. The Welsh thing was a surprise. My mother told me that there was Welsh in her family, but I had no idea that there was that much!
> 
> TL;DR: Sandy's Seaside Seafood Shack isn't real and apparently I'm Welsh now.

The Doctor had taken to invading Clara's weekends lately. Some of them were good. Some of them were bad. Some of them started off good but ended bad. Usually these were the ones where the Doctor inexplicably and for no apparent reason told her that he wasn't her boyfriend. Those were also confusing. Last weekend was good. The Doctor had taken her to one of his favorite seafood places and they'd both had a good time. No flirting happened. She refused to call it flirting. It was merely banter. It was not banter of the flirtatious kind. It was just ordinary banter. They had made it to the TARDIS just in time to avoid interacting with a group of brightly colored furries. She didn't need to deal with those people and their weird fetishes. Normally she was against kink-shaming, but she would make an exception with furries. God, those people were creepy! Creepy and annoying. Thankfully, she hadn't run into any of them since that day. She had made her way back to her flat with minimal weirdness. When she opened the door, she realized that the weirdness had found her. The TARDIS was parked inside, leaving just enough room for her to squeeze around it. The Doctor was sitting on the couch, watching _Tangled_ with his hand buried in a bowl of popcorn. He grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it in his mouth. "Help yourself to the popcorn, Doctor." Clara said sarcastically. "There's no need to ask me. It's there for your personal use."

　

"Thanks." the Doctor said through a mouthful of popcorn.

　

"I was being sarcastic." Clara said with a frown.

　

"This movie gets the physics of hair completely wrong." the Doctor complained. "Honestly, if someone's hair really was that long, it would be completely unmanageable."

　

"It's just a cartoon, Doctor." Clara sighed. "It doesn't have to make sense."

　

"Someone should have a word with the people who made this cartoon." The Doctor seemed rather annoyed.

　

"It's too late to change it, Doctor." When Clara saw the expression on the Time Lord's face, she said, "Don't even think about it."

　

"I wasn't thinking about it!" The Doctor said loudly. He paused for a moment and said, "On the other hand, the second _Nightmare On Elm Street_ movie..."

　

"Doctor!" Clara groaned.

　

"I won't do it." the Doctor promised. "Though I am pretty sure that the people making that movie were on drugs."

　

"Let's not talk about that movie, okay?" Clara had seen the movie. She kind of agreed with the Doctor's assessment.

　

The Doctor set the popcorn bowl down and paused the movie. He then stood up and said, "Bad movies aren't why I've come here."

　

"Why _are_ you here on a Friday night?" Clara asked.

　

"There's someplace that I want to take you." the Doctor replied. "I promise, you'll really like it."

　

"Is it as good as Sandy's Seaside Seafood Shack?" Clara asked.

　

"The funnel cakes are without equal." the Doctor responded.

　

"Well, I've never had a funnel cake." Clara said. "If there's a funnel cake, there must be festivities."

　

"Festivities indeed." the Doctor said with that mysterious smile on his face.

　

"Well, let's go, then." Clara decided.

　

"I promise, you'll like it." the Doctor said earnestly.

　

The two of them then headed into the TARDIS. After his typical dance around the console, the Doctor sent his ship to its destination. When they arrived, the Time Lord opened the door of his ship and let his companion out before him. When Clara saw the pink and red colors that decorated everything, she raised a brow. She heard the TARDIS' door close behind her and she looked back at the Doctor. He seemed to be looking only at her. "Happy Valentine's Day, Clara Oswald."

　

Clara raised a brow. "You do know that it's the middle of April, don't you?"

　

"Not on this planet." the Doctor replied. "On this planet, every day is Valentine's Day."

　

"All this pink must be painful for you." Clara remarked.

　

"Extremely." The Doctor looked rather queasy. He then looked at Clara and his expression seemed to lighten a bit. "I thought you'd like it, though." He pointed at a collection of food stalls, games, and rides that surrounded them. "Specifically, the Valentine's Day Fair."

　

Clara took in the appearance of all of the activities around them. "Looks like fun."

　

"Yeah." The Doctor did not seem happy. " _Fun_."

　

Clara grabbed the Time Lord's arm and said, "Look! It's one of those water games!"

　

The then pulled the Doctor after her. The Time Lord pulled a few tokens out of his pocket and gave them to the person working the game. The gleeful Clara then set to competing with other people, seeing who could fire the most water into the cute creature's mouth and inflate the balloon. Eventually, there was a winner. Of course, it was Clara. Then the time came for her to select a prize. It was a pink jumper covered in red heart-shapes. It seemed a bit big for Clara. To the Doctor's dismay, it was exactly his size. A few minutes later, the Doctor was wearing the jumper and zipping up his hoodie to hide the ridiculous article of clothing. The Time Lord spent a few more tokens on some funnel cakes, which he enjoyed despite Clara's warnings. After that, there was the rollercoaster. As they went through the loops in a heart-printed car, the Doctor flung his hand over his mouth as he desperately fought the nearly overpowering urge to vomit. He was glad when the ride was done. Immediately after exiting the ride, the Doctor rushed over to the nearest bin and emptied his stomach contents into it while Clara tried not to laugh behind him. She had warned him. It was then that Clara spotted the next ride. "The Tunnel of Love." she read out loud. "I haven't been on one of these in years."

　

"A ride where you travel down a watery path, surrounded by things that are supposed to be 'scary'." the Doctor grumbled. "Not my idea of a good time."

　

"Let's go." Clara hooked her arm around the Doctor's and he looked down at her with a surprised look on his face. The human female smiled and said, "At least we can have a few laughs at the cheap monsters, right?"

　

The corners of the Doctor's lips twitched, as if he were fighting a smile. "Fine!" he said melodramatically. "You win! We'll go on the stupid ride."

　

Clara smiled at her idiot Time Lord and led him to the gate of the ride. They waited in line and when it reached their turn, the Doctor paid the man there with more of those strange tokens. They were then directed to the 'boat', which was on a hidden, underwater track. Clara hooked her arm in the Doctor's again and jokingly flashed her doe eyes at him. The Time Lord met her eyes and quickly looked away as the ride started. Slowly, the boat made its way down the track. The first scare was a strangely realistic vampire monkey. Nothing the Doctor hadn't seen before. Then came a series of unconvincing zombies. "Boring!" Clara groaned.

　

"It'll probably get worse." the Doctor huffed.

　

Next came the horror of all horrors: furries. One of them had a rocket launcher with hearts and pears printed on it. The Doctor gripped Clara's arm a bit tighter, though not tight enough to hurt her. A pink furry wearing a tutu looked directly at him and blew him a kiss. The Time Lord let out a full-body shudder of mortification and disgust. Clara, of course, felt it and rested her head on his shoulder to comfort him. There were more furries, which deeply disturbed the Doctor. It was only on the end of the ride that he seemed to notice that his companion's head was on his shoulder. He looked down at her and their eyes met. The Time Lord swallowed audibly. Suddenly, the moment was ripped away by the ride operator telling them that it was time to get off. Clara looked at the sky and said, "It's getting dark soon."

　

"Let's go to the ferris wheel." the Time Lord said. "There will be a fireworks display and we'll have the best view from up there."

　

Clara nodded and the two of them headed to the line for the ferris wheel. By the time it was their turn, the sun had fully set and the light was completely lit up. The Doctor handed the ride operator some more tokens and was shown towards the ride. The Time Lord graciously helped Clara into the seat and took his seat next to her. Once everyone was buckled up, the ride started. Just as their car reached the top, the ride jerked to a stop. The two of them waited for a brief while before the Doctor admitted, "I think the ride is broken."

　

"Great." Clara sighed. "Just great. I'm stuck way up here with no way to get down."

　

Just as Clara finished her sentence, a burst of light appeared in the sky. She looked up to see that the fireworks display had begun. The Doctor smugly said, "See? I told you that it was the best view in the park."

　

"Yeah, you're right." Clara admitted as the next light dazzled the sky.

　

As the fireworks display went on, Clara slowly slid closer to the Doctor until once again, she was resting her head on his shoulder and had a hand on his thigh. To her surprise, he slid his hand into hers. She couldn't help but smile. As the fireworks display became more dazzling, a sign of the display's finale, the Doctor met her eyes. This was one of the most romantic things that they had done, _by far_. Unfortunately, the Doctor had to rip the wonderful moment to jagged pieces when he gently said, "I'm not your boyfriend."

　

Clara managed to hold it in. She did it very well. When the fireworks display was over and the ride was fixed, she and the Doctor headed back to the TARDIS. The petite teacher sat in the Time Lord's chair while he put in the coordinates and sent her home. He shot her one last look of frustration before letting her out. Once the TARDIS dematerialized, Clara allowed herself to fall face first into her bed. Only then did she allow herself to react. She removed her face from her pillow and rolled onto her side. She scrunched her eyes shut and murmured, "Damn you, Doctor."

　

If anyone were to ask, Clara Oswald would deny it to her last breath. She wouldn't tell anyone, especially the Doctor, that she had cried herself to sleep that night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It started out fluffy but ended angsty af. Don't worry, though. Things will get better.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes when you have a really bad period, you need a little help. The Doctor decides to take care of Clara and endures several romantic movies for her sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, people. It's the final chapter! Is it everything you've been waiting for? Well, you'll have to read to find out!
> 
> As for the DNA thing I mentioned in my Author's Notes last chapter, in case anyone wants to know, here are my portions.
> 
> 45% German  
> 34% Welsh  
> 6% Norwegian  
> 6% Eastern European  
> 5% Swedish  
> 4% Baltic
> 
> One of the other reasons that this surprised me was that my maternal grandmother was supposed to have been half Danish and I don't have any Danish blood in me at all I have a theory about that. Maybe my grandmother's mother's family came from Denmark, but their ancestors came from Sweden and Norway. When you add my Swedish and Norwegian ancestry up, it equates to about 1/8 of my ancestry. That does make sense. I don't think I really want to talk about my German ancestry because my biological father is a deadbeat bastard. Please, no dirty Welsh sleep jokes. One of my English friends has made enough of those. 
> 
> TL;DR: This is the last chapter of this story, I'm still largely Welsh, and one of my friends is a bastard.

It had been more than two months since Clara had last seen the Doctor. She wasn't sure how she would feel if she saw him now. However, reuniting with the Time Lord in question was the last thing on her mind. Right now, she was trying to deal with a particularly bad period. The first day was always the worst. She was cramping and had a really heavy flow. She was in so much pain that she could barely move, let alone leave for the store. Unfortunately, she had only one person she could call right now. She picked up her phone and took a deep breath before dialing a number. The phone rang a few times before the person on the other end picked up. "Hello?" the Doctor's familiar Scottish tones answered.

　

"Hey, Doctor." Clara said awkwardly. "It's me."

　

There was a silence for a few seconds before an equally awkward Doctor responded, "Oh. Yes. We... haven't spoken in a few days. Is there anything you need?"

　

Clara paused. It had been more than two months for her but it had only been a few days for the Doctor? Go figure. The petite brunette swallowed silently before speaking. "Yes. It's my period and I was wondering if you could go to the store and pick up some pads for me."

　

There was a brief silence before the Doctor replied, "I can do that."

　

"Good." Clara said. "Don't hang up until I tell you what kind to get."

　

She could practically hear the Doctor roll his eyes when he said, "I remember what kind to get, Clara. This isn't my first time doing this for you."

　

Clara couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, which was interrupted by a rush of pain. "Thanks, Doctor."

　

"No problem." the Time Lord said. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

　

Exactly five minutes later, the TARDIS materialized next to Clara's couch. The door opened and the Doctor stepped out with a grocery bag. He handed it to Clara, who opened it to discover that he had gotten the exact same kind of pads that she had asked him to get before. It was just in time, too. She needed to check her pad. She got off of the couch and made her way over to the bathroom, making it despite the sensation that her uterus was ripping itself apart. She quickly changed her pad and cleaned up. After washing her hands, she headed back out to her sweet couch. By the time she returned, the Doctor had prepared a cup of tea for her and had a heating pad waiting. She couldn't help but smile at the gesture. After getting comfortable, Clara pat the spot next to her to signify that the Doctor could sit there. The Time Lord quietly sat down next to her. When she was halfway through her cup of tea, she noticed a box that was in the Doctor's hands. When he saw her looking at him, he grinned sheepishly. "I have something for you."

　

"What is it?" Clara asked.

　

"You said that you were feeling a bit under the weather due to your menses." the Doctor replied. He then handed the box to Clara. "I did some reading about human menstruation and food. These are literally the best chocolates in the universe."

　

Clara raised a brow and set her tea down. She accepted the box and opened it to see a few dozen plain-looking chocolates. She selected one and held it up, sniffed it, and popped it into her mouth. As the treat melted over her tongue, a look of pure bliss appeared on Clara's face. These were by far the best chocolates she had ever eaten. No, that was the wrong word for them. These chocolates were practically a religious experience. Over the next hour or so, she made a sizable dent amount of chocolates in the box. She was still in pain, though. A grimace appeared on her face as a particularly bad cramp shot through her abdomen. A concerned look appeared on the Doctor's face. "Do you need me to draw you a bath?"

　

Clara attempted a smile at him. "I appreciate the offer, but I'd probably turn the bath water red."

　

"I have some bath salts." the Doctor suggested. "Futuristic bath salts that dissolve any menstrual discharge that leaks into the water. Only the stuff that leaks out and no other tissue. They're supposed to have pain-relieving properties."

　

"Bath salt away, then." Clara said. She frowned. "Okay, that didn't make any sense. I'll chalk it down to period brain."

　

"Wait here." the Doctor instructed. "I'll come get you when the bath is ready."

　

Clara let out a sigh and tried in vain to get comfortable. When the Doctor came to retrieve her, she was kind of relieved. He helped her over to her bathroom and made sure to look away and cover his eyes while she disrobed. When Clara slid into the water, the opacity caused by the bath salts obscured anything that might be construed as inappropriate for public view. "Doctor, you can look now." she said.

　

The Doctor nodded and sat down on the toilet. He pulled a book out of his pocket and smiled at her. He then began to read to her. She couldn't help but drift off to the sound of his voice. When she woke up, the bath was beginning to cool. She tried to get up, but her limbs had fallen asleep. She cleared her throat awkwardly and said, "Doctor, I, ah, need help getting up."

　

The Doctor picked up a towel and helped her up in a manner so her front would be covered by the towel. He handed her robe to her, which she put on, followed by her panties and a clean pad. The strangely considerate Time Lord helped her back to the couch. Once she was seated, he left and returned a few minutes later with another cup of tea. Clara couldn't help but smile at him. "Since you're bent on helping me, is there anything you'd like to do next?"

　

"You can choose the movie." the Doctor said with a shrug.

　

Clara chose something romantic. It was that weird _Romeo And Juliet_ movie with Leonardo Dicaprio in it. Not long into the movie, the Doctor scoffed. "This is stupid."

　

"It is pretty bad." Clara agreed.

　

"It's ridiculous." the Doctor complained. "Does this abomination have any redeeming features at all?"

　

Clara shrugged and suggested, "Leonardo Dicaprio."

　

"Well, you have a point there." the Doctor said. "Regardless of what anyone tells you, I did _not_ kidnap him. I forcefully liberated him from an alien that wanted to control his mind."

　

"So you kidnapped him." Clara deadpanned.

　

" _Kidnap_ is such a strong word for it." the Doctor huffed.

　

"I suppose I should be happy." Clara joked. "I'm sitting next to someone who kidnapped the delicious Leonardo Dicaprio."

　

"Delicious?" The Doctor looked at Clara with a puzzled expression on his face.

　

Clara blushed a little. "My dad's words, not mine. We were watching _Inception_."

　

"My omelette recipe is better than his anyway." the Doctor said dismissively.

　

They watched the rest of the movie in silence. When it was over, the Doctor groaned, " _Finally_!"

　

"I can't believe I actually sat through that movie." Clara sighed. "William Shakespeare would roll over in his grave if he saw this."

　

"Probably." the Doctor replied with a shrug. "Though generally speaking, most humans can't roll over on their own after they're dead."

　

"Let's just watch another movie." Clara suggested. "Pick something."

　

"Do you like _Sleepless In Seattle_?" the Doctor asked.

　

"Do you?" Clara replied.

　

"Hate it." the Doctor said. "I know that you like romance movies when you're menstruating, though."

　

"Thank you for your consideration." Clara smiled.

　

The Doctor put the Blue Ray in the player and sat down to watch the movie with Clara. Despite his complaints, he really seemed to be into the movie. When asked why, he responded, "In my Tenth incarnation, I may or may not have had a bit of a man-crush on Tom Hanks."

　

"That's... interesting." Clara said, raising a brow.

　

"I outgrew it." the Doctor shrugged. "I didn't kidnap him, either."

　

"You did, didn't you?" Clara sighed.

　

"I forcefully liberated him from sentient cheesecakes who wanted to eat him." the Doctor retorted.

　

"You kidnapped Leonardo Dicaprio _and_ Tom Hanks?" Clara said with a clear look of surprise on her face.

　

"Not at the same time!" the Doctor huffed.

　

"So you admit it!" Clara exclaimed.

　

"I admit nothing." the Doctor said, the corners of his lips twitching as he tried not to smile.

　

"What are you going to tell me next, that you broke Thomas Jefferson's nose?" Clara snarked.

　

"Don't be ridiculous." The Doctor huffed, looking away for a moment. He glanced back at her and said, "I gave him a black eye."

　

"You really gave Thomas Jefferson a black eye?" Clara was very surprised at this.

　

"Give me a break." the Doctor groaned. "There was cheese involved!"

　

"Cheese?" Clara questioned.

　

"It's a long story." the Doctor elaborated. "You don't want to know."

　

"If _you_ say that I don't want to know," Clara mused, "then I probably _don't_ want to know."

　

Throughout the movie, the Doctor would complain and Clara would respond, which usually led to banter that may or may not have bordered on flirting. When the movie was finished, the Doctor let out a melodramatic sigh of relief. Clara rolled her eyes and lightly elbowed him in the side. "What movies do you have left?" Clara asked.

　

"I have _The Notebook_ and _The Princess Bride_." the Doctor replied.

　

"Well, you always cry during _The Notebook_ ," Clara said. The Doctor let out a noise of protest and Clara continued, "So _Princess Bride_ it is."

　

The Doctor replaced the disc in the player with _Princess Bride_ and started playing the movie. Clara leaned into the Doctor's side with a contented sigh. Tentatively, the Time Lord took her hand in his. He looked down at her and gave her that adorable, shy smile. She smiled back before returning her attention to the movie. When the meaning of 'as you wish' was being explained, the Doctor smiled at Clara once more. In a gentle, almost loving voice, he said, "I'm not your boyfriend."

　

Clara was about to protest, thinking that once again the Doctor had utterly destroyed the moment, but something that Sandy had said suddenly came to mind. _It's a complicated thing_ , he had said. _Sometimes love is deeper than that. Sometimes 'boyfriend' is too insignificant of a word to describe the way a man feels about another person._

　

Suddenly, it all made sense: the way the Doctor had been acting around her, the trips he had taken her on, the inexplicable uses of those four words. He had been trying to tell her something for a long time, something that it had taken her too long to figure out. He'd said 'I'm not your boyfriend', but those four words meant something else entirely. He just didn't know how to say it. Clara looked up at the Doctor, who had an expression of trepidation on his face. His worries were put completely to rest by her next three words. With a smile on her face, Clara squeezed the Doctor's hand and whispered, "As you wish."

 


End file.
